A guide to building a chemical-free house

I have had CFS and MCS for almost 15 years but my MCS has become very severe. I am attempting to build a chemical-free safe house as I recovered so much from one month of staying in a toxic free environment (similar to how most people say camping, staying in a cottage or on a pristine island helps a lot).

I'm writing a blog about the building of my house which is also set up as guide for other people with CFS & MCS to build, renovate or even just redecorate their living space to reduce toxins in the environment.

No hidden wood would mean a concrete and steal structure. Timbersil is a product that I have heard of which sounds really great as well, it is wood mixed with glass and it doesn't offgass and is not susceptible to mould.

Cob and adobe and straw bale can be good in warmer climates where it doesn't rain too much. Your builder needs to know a lot about preventing mould in these types of buildings so that they don't get wet during the process of building. They usually involve a timber frame. I don't think you can build one to building codes without timber but perhaps timbersil or steal would work. I'm sure there is a creative solution there!

I'm not sure if totally visible plumbing is possible. Definitely the shower plumbing and under sink plumbing can be visible but I have not seen something that has all visible plumbing. What I was going to do in my cob house was have all the plumbing in one wall - ie the shower and sink on one side of the wall and the kitchen sink on the other side of the wall (and having a composting toilet). This internal wall would be wood framed with NO insulation. You could even put a little door that opens to look inside the wall or have some kind of system that would allow you to check for leaks easily.

The way the foundation is built and insulated is really important in preventing mould. I will be doing a post just on that.

Oh, Timbersil sounds interesting. I will have to research it. If chemicals are a bigger problem for you than mold, then maybe you don't have to go extreme as I would about avoiding wood and cellulose. I just didn't want to have to worry about it.

I've been in lots of large industrial type buildings that have visible plumbing, but I agree that it's pretty unusual for a home. Still, I think it should be possible, if not everyone's taste. Your solution sounds like it would let you catch any leaks before they cause problems.

I like steel roofs, too.

I wish you all the best in your building project! It's an inspiration to see someone actually building something.
Forebearance

P.S. I did my research a couple years ago, but I remember not liking Dragonboard because it has chopped up cellulose in it.
I did like Magnesiacore a lot. It is (or was) made in Canada. I'm excited to see that there are now other brands of magnesium oxide board available! It must be catching on.

P.S. I did my research a couple years ago, but I remember not liking Dragonboard because it has chopped up cellulose in it.
I did like Magnesiacore a lot. It is (or was) made in Canada. I'm excited to see that there are now other brands of magnesium oxide board available! It must be catching on.

Click to expand...

MgO boards are great, yes it is catching on for sure! Though I have heard it's good to go with a reputable brand as some others do not have the same integrity. Dragon Board is a good brand, not available in Canada though. Like all the reputable brands it is non-nutricious to mould, fungus and insects.

If you don't have water coming in and have a good venting system for humidity you shouldn't have any mould. Even concrete can become mouldy with water saturation. I think metals and glass are the only true materials that could never harbour mould (any others?). (But you do need some type of insulation. I think you mentioned Airkrete, that would be ideal, expensive though! ) Metal and glass also tend to cause condensation on the inside which could mean your insulation will get mouldy, whereas a material that breathes could be better.